Saturday morning saw the beginning of our last day, with twinges of sorrow but (reluctant) acceptance of reality. Today it was straight on to the bus for a half-hour journey in to the centre of Athens. We decided to admire the Acropolis from afar, as we’d been there before and we wanted to conserve as much energy as possible for the National Archaeological Museum.
We were stunned by the beauty of the objects on display. Gold always performs well, but in some respects it was outdone by the bronzes and other artefacts and statues. I loved the little jockey on a huge horse. We must go back and spend some more time there, as it’s really too much to take in before the brain switches off.
Before lunch we had a stroll round Plaka, the old centre of Athens which always seems so welcoming with elegant souvenir shops sitting in harmony with flags, garish ornaments and posters. We had a pleasant, if ordinary, lunch, where the company was better than the food but the overall package was delightful. Some of the company decided to stay in town for the remainder of the day, but we headed back to the liner for a brief rest.
After siesta time we had a last turn round the upper deck and took advantage of the extended happy hour. Conversation was generally about how much everyone had enjoyed the trip, with praise being heaped on the quality of input from most of the tour guides and Kelly as the tour organiser. We couldn’t speak personally for Alex’s input as Tour Director as we were rarely in attendance for onboard events like Salsa, Belly Dancing and the Trivia Quiz, preferring to spend our evenings ashore, but others appeared to have enjoyed them.
Unfortunately, our last meal on board was nearly as bad as the first one, without being lightened by a bit of humour. We won’t bore you with the details, but can only note that of all the complaints we heard, 99.9% were about the restaurant. Almost everyone agreed that the A La Carte food was excellent and the staff willing and helpful. What appeared to be lacking was direction, guidance and any sort of system. (Karmanie)
